Cartoon Corner- Star Wars: Rebels (Season 2)

Originally posted at the DL September 2016

Well that escalated.



I have to give special mention to the special guest star this season.  They got James Earl Jones to do a little teaser in the first episode, then got him for several episodes this season.  But the stand out bit is how sparing and deliberate they are with their use of Darth Vader.  Shows up in the premier to remind you he is Darth Vader and doesn't need his star destroyers or the weight of the Empire behind him to destroy you.  He is the reinforcements.  A brief appearance mid-season to remind you that he terrifies these Inquisitors the heroes are struggling with.  And of course the finale.

Best Episode: Twilight of the Apprentice part 2.  So Rebels is currently recording their fourth season and doesn't have a clear endpoint.  It's not technically a trilogy.  But damned if season 2 doesn't follow as the Empire in a pre-designed trilogy structure.  Main character has now brushed so close to the Dark Side a Sith holocron responds to him.  Other main character ate a lightsaber to the face and is blind.  The heroes' strongest ally missing, presumed dead, and could barely put up a fight against Vader (who at this point has a personal interest in the heroes).
And of course that layered voicing effect is probably worth the nod alone.

And it's not like that came out of nowhere.  The whole season was essentially about how badly the early Rebellion was doing.  "Victories" basically amounted to "we got enough fuel to keep the fleet moving another week and only lost 3 A-Wings this time!"  Well okay there was that time they visited the french twi'leks and stole a fighter carrier.  That was definitely an actual win.  But aside from blowing up a cruiser or two that was about it for them.  Hell a significant number of episodes were devoted to trying to find a base, and settling on the one with blaster-proof spider nests.

Weakest Episode: The Honorable Ones.  Just a cross section of a few weak elements.  Zeb is generally the weakest member of the cast, especially for holding down an episode.  Kallus' honor streak doesn't quite jive with his earlier portrayal in the series and makes the overall episode's impact feel hollow.  They do what they can with it but on the whole I think his earliest episodes were just too over the top to get me on board, at least right away.  And the basic premise of the episode means that it has to be carried by the two enemies and it just isn't.  Zeb had a much better episode earlier with Legends of the Lesat and this one doesn't add much to his character, so without earlier groundwork to better establish this 'honorable' side of Kallus it just doesn't click.

But yeah despite some episodes that were essentially character-based filler, they always had enough of a connection to the wider arc to feel like they belonged there.  Or at least didn't break the tension.

Rating- 8/10.  That said I don't think they quite hit enough high notes to nudge it over into 9 territory.  Damn close though.